Reshma Kewalramani

When Kewalramani took the reins at Vertex in 2020 — becoming the first woman to lead the Boston biotech — the company was in strong financial shape, thanks to its blockbuster cystic fibrosis drug Trifakta. Last year, she advanced that core business, winning FDA approval for expanded use of Vertex’s CF drug Orkambi in children 12-24 months old. Beyond CF, she is focused on building a diverse pipeline of genetic therapies for other conditions, such as beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease, acute pain, and Type 1 diabetes. The company has also begun testing a treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, which often leads to lung and liver disease. “Our goal for ourselves was to do what we have already done with cystic fibrosis again, and again, and again,” Kewalramani said at the 2022 STAT Summit. “I think what you will see is that we have delivered on that ambition of transforming if not curing multiple diseases.”